Baby On the Way?
by tomisaqt
Summary: Hermione's never had a sibling. She's always wanted one, but due to certain things, is unable. This is the story behind her siblings, or the lack there of, in Hermione Granger's life. The title isn't what it sounds like...JKR owns Harry Potter not me!
1. In the Beginning

This is the chapter that I mentioned in one of the chapters of Growing Up. I hope this turns out as good as it was in my head. This is just my opinion as to why Hermione doesn't mention any siblings in the course of the series (correct me if I'm wrong because that would mean that I completely missed it and need to reread the book!) Hope you enjoy! Read and review and tell me what you think!

"Mummy!" the 4-year old exclaimed when her mother walked through the door of the day-care center.

"Hermione!" her mother replied. "How was school today?"

"Great, Mummy! Can we go now?" she asked.

"Of course, but what's the rush? Can I talk to your teacher for a moment? Just go wait by the door."

"But Mummy!" the toddler protested.

"I'll just be a second," her mom told her gently. "Go wait by the front door, hun, and I'll be right there."

"Fine," she pouted. Hermione slowly walked over to the door and sat on the bench. Finally, after what seemed like centuries to the young girl, her mother walked back over to the door, laughing at what the teacher had said.

"Are you ready yet?" the impatient 4-year old asked, hopping off the bench onto the floor.

"Yes, dear, I'm ready. Come on," her mother replied, laughing at her daughter's eagerness to leave the day-care center. She took Hermione's hand and walked her to the car. She reached out to open the car door for the petite child, but before she could pull the handle, the child stopped her.

"No Mummy, I can do it myself!" she said independently.

"Okay," the patient mom replied.

As Hermione stood on her tip-toes and reached out above her head, she cried out: "I need help, Mummy!"

Her mom laughed and pulled on the handle. Hermione scrambled onto the step and stepped up into the car. She turned around and sat down in the toddler booster seat. It had recently replaced the baby car seat and Hermione felt a great achievement as it signaled her growth from a 'baby' to a 'big girl' as she told her parents.

Mrs. Granger began to buckle her daughter into the seat, but once more was stopped by her daughter's words of: "I can do it myself, Mummy!" Hermione took the seatbelt from her mom and managed to hook it into the other side after several minutes of impatiently missing the slot.

The ride was mostly quiet on the way to their midsized suburban home. The silence was interrupted, however, mid way through the ride. Hermione asked the same question she had asked for a long time, ever since she started going to day-care.

"Mummy am I going to have a baby brother or sister _yet?_" she asked, clearly disappointed in the answer she knew was coming.

"No, dear, you're not going to get a baby sister or brother yet. But your father and I are trying. We know how much you really want one."

"Yes, Mummy, I really really do! All of my friends have brothers and sisters! Why can't I have one too?"

This conversation always tore her mother's heart to pieces. For some reason, though, it hurt even more that particular day. The way her daughter had told her that she really wanted a sibling made her pine for her daughter. She wanted to be able to say that she knew how she felt, but that would be a complete lie. She had had a minimum of 5 siblings living in the house with her, 2 that were in college when she was born and 3-4 after she married and had her first child.

Hermione did of course, have a brother. A brother she had never met, of course, but a brother at that. Hermione had no idea that she had the older sibling, since the sibling had died. One of her sisters was her son's age, and her youngest brother and sibling was Hermione's age.

Finally after what seemed like 4 agonizing, pain-filled hours, the car pulled into the driveway and cut off. Hermione and her mother got out of the car and walked up to the door.

Obviously, this was just a sort of introduction. I'll update later, I hope this will turn out to be as good as it is in my mind. I hope you all like!


	2. Desperate Pleas

"Hi Daddy!" Hermione screamed as she ran through the front door and into her father's open arms.

"Hey baby girl," her father said, picking her up and spinning her around. The 4-year old giggled as her father tickled her.

"Daddy stop it!" she screamed in between giggles.

"What's the magic word?" he teased, giving her a kiss on the cheek, which she promptly wiped off.

"Please!?"

"Okay," he said, complying to her manners and setting her down gently on the floor and steadying her so that she wouldn't fall from dizziness.

"Daddy?" she asked as he put her in her highchair for supper.

"Yes sweetie pie?" he asked, sitting down at his seat at the head of the table.

"When am I going to get a baby sister or brother?" she asked once more.

"Sweetie, I'm not sure. It's all up to God. When he's ready for you to have a baby brother or sister, then he'll send one. Until then, all we can do is pray and try."

"Can you ask God when we go to church on Sunday?"

"We're doing our best Hermione," her mother interrupted. They were both quite used to the very consistent questions about an addition to the Granger family.

"Okay, mommy," she replied. The youngest Granger lowered her head and picked up her fork to begin eating the much dreaded broccoli.

"Hermione, it's okay. Your sibling will come. We just don't know when. We promise you, you will get a brother or sister one way or another. Just be patient and for now eat your broccoli," her dad said gently, trying to cheer his daughter up after seeing her so down and moving the green vegetable around her plate.

The rest of dinner was quiet after the quite obvious conversation had ended. The family then cleared the table and watched a children's movie before putting Hermione in her toddler bed.

"Sleep tight, sweetie and don't let the bed bugs bite," her father said laughing at her scared look over the topic of bugs being in her bed. Each parent then bent down and gave their only child a goodnight kiss on the cheek.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger walked across the hall of the two-story house and got into bed to once again attempt to fulfill their daughter's one wish. While they loved each other and loved attempting, they only wished they could give their daughter what she wanted more than ever. Time seemed to be running out, though, and Mrs. Granger knew that before long, their only option would be to adopt a baby from the agency.

However, Mrs. Granger would know something in a few days that would change Hermione's life forever.

It's a shorter chapter, but I wanted to end it in a cliffie. Good for reviewers who want to see what happens. Read and review and enjoy most of all!


	3. Finally!

A few days passed, but Hermione didn't ask the question any more. Her parents began to worry that their daughter was catching a cold, due to her silence.

One morning, about a week after the last sibling conversation, Mrs. Granger began to feel as if she was coming down with the stomach flu herself. After a week of this, and then missing her period, she began to think she should see a doctor.

'Maybe this is really what it was before,' her mother hoped for the sake of Hermione. She drove to the doctor's on her way home from work, calling her husband on the way to ask him to pick their daughter up from daycare.

"Why?" he questioned over the cell phone.

"Because I think….well, it doesn't matter until I find out for sure. I'll be back for supper. I'm not up to cooking tonight though, so I'll stop to get something-"

"No, don't worry about it. I'll make something. You just go to your appointment and make it back safely. I love you," he said, interrupting her offer to get fast food.

"Okay, dear. Just don't burn down the house. And don't forget to pick up Hermione on your way back from work," she replied, laughing.

"I'm on my way now. Good-bye."

The couple hung up just as Mrs. Granger parked the car at her doctor's office.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Granger!" the receptionist said enthusiastically. "Here for another check-up? You didn't give a reason for the sudden appointment over the phone. You seemed urgent. Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes, I'm perfectly fine. I was at work and I didn't want to get caught making a non-work related phone call," she replied, laughing at the receptionist's nervousness.

"Okay that's fine," she said, sighing with obvious relief. "Dr. Porter will see you in just a moment. She's just finishing up with a patient now. If you just have a seat right there by the door, she'll be out in a moment."

Mrs. Granger sat down in the all-too familiar maroon chair and picked up a new copy of her favorite magazine. But before she had a chance to get past the table of contents, Dr. Porter walked out, smiling and saying to the patient in front of her, "Good luck with the twins, Mrs. Simons."

Looking down, she smiled even bigger and said, "Ah, Mrs. Granger, hoping for a sibling for Hermione?"

"Actually, I think I really am. I hope I really am pregnant. I missed my period and have been feeling like I did 4 years ago."

"Well, let's take a look, Mrs. Granger. Maybe I can give you the news that little Hermione has been waiting for."

The two women walked back to the examination rooms that were also very familiar to Hermione's mother. She sat on the examining table and waited for the doctor to tell her what to do, even though by now she could figure it out by herself.

"Okay, you know the drill, just go to the bathroom and do what you always do."

As Mrs. Granger walked to the restroom, she felt like telling the doctor what her daughter tells her all the time: 'I can do it myself.'

When she was done, she walked back to the examination room and handed the stick to the doctor.

"You know that even though I do the traditional home-pregnancy test, I am still going to perform an ultrasound to make sure that the test wasn't a misreading."

"I know."

Dr. Porter walked out of the room and down the hallway to her office to read the test results. Several minutes later, she walked into the room with a grim smile on her face.

"It's a negative, isn't it?" Mrs. Granger said, interpreting the doctor's smile to be the less positive of the two.

"Actually, according to the test results, you're pregnant!" the doctor replied, clearly excited for the seemingly infertile mother.

"I am?" she said, stunned at the first positive response since Hermione had been born.

"Yes, but because of your previous misreadings, I'm going to perform an ultrasound to make sure."

"That's fine! I mean, that's wonderful!" the mother exclaimed eagerly, her mood lightened.

They walked down the hall to the ultrasound machine and Mrs. Granger lay in the bed. Dr. Porter put the jelly on her stomach and moving the controllers around.

After a few moments, she looked up and smiled. "Yes, Mrs. Granger, Hermione is one lucky toddler. Her mommy is having a baby."

"Oh my gosh! Finally, Hermione's going to be so excited!"

They walked back out to the room and out to the waiting room. Mrs. Granger thanked Dr. Porter and paid the receptionist for the appointment fees.

On the way out, the receptionist asked her, "So, Hermione gets that sibling she's been telling me she wants, huh?"

"Yes, she finally does," Mrs. Granger said, laughing along with the receptionist as she walked out the door to her car.

She spent the ride home thinking over the past hour. She couldn't wait to tell her husband, and telling Hermione was even more exciting.

Mrs. Granger pulled into the driveway just as her husband was. She got out of the car and ran as fast as her high heels would let her to the family's jeep. She opened the passenger door and Hermione jumped out and into her mother's arms.

"Mommy!" she cried.

"Hermione!" she replied in just as enthusiastic of a shriek.

She carried her daughter over to her husband's side of the jeep and wrapped him in a hug with Hermione in the middle.

"How did your doctor's appointment go?" he asked, knowing what it was for based on her nervous voice in the car.

"I'm pregnant!" she screamed, unable to keep it a secret any longer.

"You mean, I'm going to get a baby sister or brother?" Hermione screamed almost as loudly as her mother.

"Yes our daughter, you are no longer going to be an only child. You're going to get to share the house and your toys and our love with a baby now."

"Yay!"

The family walked into the house and had a nice family supper of pizza that Hermione had convinced her father to order.


	4. Showandtell and a big surprise

The next day, Hermione went to daycare without the usual fight. Her mom drove off as Hermione ran over to her usual group of friends at the playdough table.

"Guess what?" she shrieked as soon as she sat down, but not so loudly as to give away her show and tell for the day to the rest of the class.

"What?" her friend Jennifer asked, clearly excited about what her friend was about to tell the group.

"I'm getting a baby brother or sister!"

"Really? You are so lucky! You've been waiting for this for a long time!" her friend Christopher replied.

"I know! Mummy told me yesterday when she got home from the doctors."

They played with the playdough until circle time, her friends asking her what she was going to name the baby and her replying with unique and somewhat elegant names for a 4-year old.

Finally, the teachers rang the bell to signal the start of circle time.

"Okay, class, let's take a seat on the circle!" Ms. Caster said. Everyone gathered around and sat on their nametags.

"We're going to start with show and tell today," the other teacher, Mrs. Anders, said. "Who would like to go first?"

"I would, Mrs. Anders!" Hermione exclaimed, the first one to get her hand up in the air.

"Okay, Hermione, go ahead. You don't usually go first, so you must have something really special to share with us today!" Ms. Caster said.

"I do have something special! Yesterday when my mummy got home from work, she told me that I'm getting a baby brother or sister!" she exclaimed, barely waiting to get in front of the class.

"Wow that is exciting!" Mrs. Anders replied. "Are you happy?"

"Yes I am! I'm very happy because I really want somebody to play with at home," she said in a rush, finishing with her sparkling smile that was the result of her parents being dentists.

"Well, thank you Hermione! That was very exciting. Now let's see what everyone else has to share," Ms. Caster replied.

Hermione took a seat and listened to the rest of her classmates' show-and-tells which included a puppy for Jennifer's birthday, a new bike for Michael, and a new dad for Jason. None of these were as exciting as Hermione's, though.

The rest of the day sped by and at 5:00 her mother picked her up as usual. Mrs. Granger walked over to Ms. Caster and Mrs. Anders and talked to them about Hermione's school day.

"I knew she would tell everyone," her mother said, laughing. "How could she keep a secret like that?"

They got in the car and drove home, almost silently. Suddenly, just as Mrs. Granger turned onto their street, there was a loud cough from the back seat. She turned around to see her daughter coughing.

"Hermione, are you okay?" she asked pulling over to the side of the street.

"I'm fine mummy. I just don't feel good," Hermione replied in between coughs.

"What hurts, sweetie?" her mom asked as she pulled her daughter out of the booster seat.

"My head and my throat and my ears all hurt Mummy."

"Does your tummy hurt?"

"No," she replied as another set of coughs set in.

"Can you make it home?"

"I think so Mummy."

She placed her daughter in the front seat and drove slowly home. As she pulled up in the driveway, she looked over in the passenger seat to see her daughter's eyes beginning to close.

"Hermione, can you stay awake for just a little while?"

"Mummy, I'm really tired."

"I know honey, but I need you to stay awake just a little bit longer so that Daddy can look at you okay?"

"Okay Mummy."

Mrs. Granger picked up her daughter and carried her up the front steps. Just as she was about to pull her key out to open the door, Mr. Granger flung the door open.

"I was beginning to get worried," he said as the two walked into the house.

"Honey, I think Hermione caught something at school."

"What do you mean?"

"She said her head, throat, and ears hurt. Then she started to nod off as we pulled into the driveway."

"Hermione, sweetie pie, can Daddy take your temperature?"

"Why do you need to take my temp-temp-temperature, Daddy?" she asked, struggling between trying to pronounce temperature and to stay awake.

"We need to make sure you're not sick. It'll only take a second, okay? And then you can go to sleep, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy."

He took her into the living room and set her on the couch. He went to the bathroom and got the thermometer out of the medicine cabinet.

"Can you stick this under your tongue, honey?"

"Okay."

After a few minutes, the thermometer beeped signaling that the temperature had been taken. Her father looked at the number on the digital dial and walked into the kitchen with his wife.

"What's her temperature?" his wife asked worriedly.

"105. Call the doctor while I go try to keep her awake."

He went back into the living room and gently shook his daughter awake. "Hermione, you can't go to sleep just yet."

"But Daddy, you just said that I could go to sleep after you took my temperature."

"I know, but I need you to stay awake fore just a few more minutes."

His wife came in and whispered in her husband's ear what the doctor had said. He then picked his daughter up and carried her to the car. He placed her in the booster seat and strapped her in. His wife got in the passenger side and he got behind the wheel.

The family headed down the street towards the hospital's emergency room.


	5. Her First Hospital Stay

"Mummy?" came the sound of the tired toddler's voice from the backseat. "Where are we going?"

"We're just going down the street honey. We'll be there in just a minute, okay?" Mrs. Granger told her daughter as they pulled onto the hospital's street.

Soon they were parking the car and unstrapping Hermione from the booster seat. They rushed her inside to the emergency room to sign in.

"What's the problem today, ma'am?" the receptionist questioned from behind the glass window.

"My daughter fell seriously ill this afternoon and has a fever of 105 degrees. Her pediatrician advised us to bring her to the emergency room immediately," Mr. Granger answered in as serious and strong of a tone as he could muster.

"How old is your daughter?"

"She just turned four."

"If you'll follow me down this hallway, I'll lead you to the pediatric emergency room."

The receptionist walked out from inside the office and the family followed her down the hallway. Soon they were in a near empty waiting room.

"Just go talk to the receptionist over in that office and tell her exactly what you told me," she said kindly. Mr. and Mrs. Granger thanked her and walked over to the office.

"Hello, may I help you?" the young woman asked.

"Yes, my daughter fell seriously ill this afternoon and has a fever of 105 degrees. Her pediatrician advised us to bring her to the emergency room immediately," Mrs. Granger said.

"How old is your daughter?"

"She just turned four."

"Okay, follow me back to examination room and I'll have the doctor come in right away."

"Thank you."

The receptionist took Hermione from her mother and set her on the bed in the room. She then left to get the doctor. By this time, Hermione had fallen asleep. After what seemed like hours, the doctor came in and introduced herself.

"Good evening, my name is Dr. Yersa. Can you wake your daughter up and tell me a little bit of information?"

"Yes." Mrs. Granger walked over to the bed as her husband told the doctor their names and their daughter's name.

"Thank you. Now Hermione, can you tell me how old you are?"

"I'm...I'm...I don't know," she replied, her voice dying off in shyness.

"Can you tell me what hurts?"

"My throat and my head and my eyes and my ears and my legs and my arms all hurt. Everything hurts."

Dr. Yersa wrote all of this down on her clipboard as Hermione listed the things that hurt.

"Are you tired, Hermione?"

"Yes, I'm very tired."

"Okay, that's all I need to know. But you have to promise me something. Okay?"

"What do you need me to promise?"

"I need to you to promise me that you're not going to go to sleep until I come back. Can you do that for me?"

"I think so."

"Okay. I will be back as soon as I can."

Dr. Yersa walked out of the room quickly and down the hall to the lab. She came back with a cotton swab.

"Hermione, I have to take a strep test. Can you let me stick this down your throat for just a second?"

The toddler nodded and allowed the doctor to take the test without even gagging. Dr. Yersa walked out of the room once more to the lab to get the results of the strep test. When she came back, she had a grim look on her face.

"It's not strep, which is what I was hoping it would be because that is lesser of the extreme diseases. I think it might be the flu, but I'll have to keep her overnight to be sure. She'll be fine and you can stay if you wish. It's just to be on the safe side so that we can make sure it's not something more serious like rheumatic fever."

"Okay, we just want our daughter to get better."

"She will, I promise."

Hermione was already asleep at this point, so the doctor went to the front desk and had the receptionist make a hospital bracelet for the sleeping toddler. Dr. Yersa strapped it to Hermione's wrist gently when it was finished and as gently as possible put an IV in her hand.

The doctor left the room and let the family get some rest.

The next morning couldn't come soon enough for the Granger family as they would find out some good news and some bad.


	6. Home at Last

"Good morning Mummy!" Hermione exclaimed as the sun shone in her chocolate brown eyes. She sat up in the bed and looked at her parents sleeping in the chairs that had been placed by her bed.

Mrs. Granger opened her eyes and squinted in the bright yellow light. She glanced over at her daughter once her eyes had adjusted to the light. She expected her daughter to still be asleep, but saw that she was sitting upright and smiling.

"Hi, honey. How are you feeling?" she asked as she shook her husband awake.

"I feel great Mummy! Do I have to go to school today?"

Mrs. Granger was surprised that her daughter didn't still feel ill. She laughed at her daughter's question and replied, "No, silly! Of course not! It's Saturday!"

"It is?"

"Yes. Don't you remember? Yesterday was Friday and after school you didn't feel good so Daddy and I brought you to the doctor's. But I think you're fine now."

"Good morning my sweet daughter," Mr. Granger said, yawning.

"Hi Daddy! Your hair looks funny!" Hermione exclaimed, giggling at her father's goofy bed head.

"Yes, I think it looks funny too Jason!" Mrs. Granger replied, smiling at her husband's hair.

"Oh you do, do you? Well, your hair doesn't exactly look like you're going to the prom, Mrs. Amy."

Jason got up and sat on the end of his daughter's bed. He reached over and pulled her into his lap. He kissed her cheek. Then, he tickled her and she laughed loudly.

"Stop tickling me Daddy! Please stop tickling me Daddy!" she giggled.

"Okay, you did say the magic word." He stopped and set her back on the bed just as the doctor walked in.

"Good morning. I see Hermione's feeling better. Am I right?" Dr. Yersa asked.

"Yes. I feel fine!"

"Well, that's great. Is it okay if I talk to your mommy and daddy in the hallway for a minute?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Now how would you like to play with this toy?" she asked, pulling a toy from behind her back and setting it on the bed beside Hermione.

"I really want too!" Hermione lay down on the bed and began moving the pieces around as her parents followed the doctor into the hallway.

"What is it, Dr." Mr. Granger asked her.

"Well, even though Hermione feels better, I don't know how better she'll feel later. Sometimes what Hermione has goes away after a good night's sleep, but often it's like a hurricane. It's the calm during the eye of the storm. It acts like it's gone away, but really it's hiding. We'll need you to keep an eye on her. It's just the flu, but you need to keep her out of school for at least two days to make sure her fever doesn't come back. Keep an eye on her to make sure it doesn't progress into anything worse."

"Okay, thank you. Can we take her home now?"

"Yes, you may. We're going to give her some pain medication that's only to be given to her if her fever comes back with the symptoms she told you of last night. It's a fast-acting fever reducer and pain reliever. It's formulated just for toddlers, but it's very powerful and could make her very sick if she takes it when she doesn't have the fever."

They walked back into the room and her father picked Hermione up.

"Where are we going Daddy?" she asked.

"We're going home, honey. Don't you want to go home?"

"Yes, but Daddy I'm hungry."

"We'll stop and get something on the way home. Can you say thank you to the nice doctor?"

"Thank you," she said softly and shyly.

"You're welcome," Dr. Yersa replied with a smile.

"Bye bye."

"Good bye."

The family walked out to the waiting room and signed out at the desk. They proceeded through the sliding doors and walked out to the family's jeep. Mr. Granger put Hermione in her booster seat and they drove home, the toddler jabbering all the way home.

When they drove up in the long driveway, Hermione unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door. She jumped down and ran up to the house. Her father chased her and opened the door. Hermione ran all the way up to her play room and got out her dolls. Her mother went into the kitchen and began making her daughter a bowl of cereal.


	7. Another Emergency

Weeks passed and nothing changed. Hermione went to school and stayed all day. She never complained of a headache or anything. Her fever never returned. Her mother was grateful for this.

Mrs. Granger continued to go to her doctor's appointments for the baby and for once the baby was completely healthy. It was growing just as it should be and there seemed to be nothing wrong that would cause a miscarriage.

One day, Mrs. Granger received a phone call at the dentist office she and her husband worked at together. She knew something must be wrong when the number came up as the preschool/day care's phone number showed on caller id.

"Hello, Dr. Granger's office can I help you?" she asked as calmly and politely as she could but yet her voice shaking slightly.

"Yes, is Mrs. Granger there?" the woman on the other line asked.

"This is she."

"Mrs. Granger, there's been an accident. Hermione's in the back of an ambulance," the teacher blurted.

"She's…what? Hermione is where?" she asked the teacher having not fully comprehended what she said.

"Hermione was hurt during recess and the ambulance was called. The EMTs want you to meet them at the hospital."

"What happened?"

"She fell off of the swing set and didn't get back up. When we went over to make sure she was okay, she was unconscious," the teacher's voice shook.

"Oh my god, is she going to be alright?" Mrs. Granger asked, not thinking about having to leave work but instead thinking about her daughter.

"We're not sure, Mrs. Granger. Her head was bleeding but we weren't aware of her hitting her head. She landed on her wrist when she fell. They just want you to meet them there."

"Okay, thank you. Good bye."

"Good bye."

Mrs. Granger ran back to where her husband was washing up after finishing with a patient.

"What's the matter, honey?" he asked, giving her a kiss on the cheek to calm her down.

"Hermione's been hurt and they called an ambulance. They want me to meet them at the hospital. Can you stay here and take care of the rest of the patients? I think we have two each and I'm sure you could get one of the nurses to help you," she said in a rushed tone.

"I'll be fine. Just hurry and get over there and make sure our daughter is okay. But don't go too fast as to hurt yourself and our other baby."

"I won't." They kissed goodbye and Mrs. Granger hung her coat up on the hook on her way out of the building. She got in the car and drove the five minutes to the hospital.

She walked in to the main emergency room and over to the receptionist's desk.

"May I help you?" she asked politely.

"Yes, I am supposed to meet my daughter and the ambulance she's in here."

"Are you Hermione Granger's mother? The girl who was injured at London Central Day Care Center earlier?"

"Yes ma'am."

"She's right through these doors on my right and in the first room on the right."

"Thank you."

Mrs. Granger walked as quickly as she could down the hall and into her daughter's room. The doctors were crowded around her and she was hooked up to machine after machine.

"What happened to my baby?" a very pregnant Mrs. Granger asked the closest daughter to her.

"She was swinging at her preschool and one of the other boys was pushing her. She must have slid off the seat and hit her head on the concrete. Her wrist is broken so she must have landed on it and continued forward which caused her to hit her head. We're trying to stabilize her right now."

"You mean she's hovering between life and death?" Mrs. Granger asked, worry filling her voice. Her pregnancy hormones were kicking in now and the doctors could tell.

"Well, not completely. She'll be fine once we wake her up. She's not responding though."

"Why is she hooked up to so many machines?"

"Because until we stabilize her, we won't be able to tell what her oxygen level is and so she needs to be hooked up to an iv and the breathing machine."

"But…"

"Mrs. Granger, your daughter will be fine. Once we get her to wake up and stabilize her breathing and heart rate, then we can do more complete x-rays of her wrist and skull. The only things we can tell now is that the wrist is most definitely broken and she most likely has a concussion."

"Can I sit here until you're done?"

"Of course you may."

"Thank you."

Mrs. Granger took the seat beside her daughter's bed and waited for the doctors to tell her more news.

"Mrs. Granger, we're ready to take her into x-ray. She's woken up and is stabilized," the doctor that she had talked to earlier told her.

"Thank you."

"Mummy, where am I? Where are they taking me Mummy?" her daughter pleaded for answers.

"They're going to help you, Hermione. They're nice. They're not going to hurt you. Just be good for them, okay?"

"Mummy, come with me!"

"Can I?" she asked the doctor.

"Yes. Hold her hand if you can."

"Thank you."

Mrs. Granger held her daughter's hand all the way to the x-ray. After a few minutes, the doctors came back with the x-ray results.

"We have the results, Mrs. Granger."

Ah ha! A cliffhanger just for you! Enjoy!


	8. Waiting and Waiting

"What's wrong with Hermione?" Mrs. Granger asked, not even waiting a second after the doctor announced that he had the results.

"Well, her wrist is broken. Just a hairline fracture, though, it's not as bad as we thought. She has a concussion so due to hospital policy and to reduce insurance company's complaints we are forced to hold concussion patients over night no matter how bad the concussion is."

"How bad is her concussion?" she asked slowly.

"It's not exactly a minor concussion but it's not a major concussion either. She'll be fine we just need to make sure that there's no other damage before we are allowed to send her home," the doctor said, showing Mrs. Granger the x-ray.

"I just want her to be okay," Mrs. Granger said, relieved.

"She will be. We just have to keep her overnight due to hospital policy. We're getting ready to move her to the pediatric ward right now. I believe, according to her records, that a couple of weeks ago she stayed there?"

"Yes, she developed a fever which turned out to be just a twenty-four hour flu."

"Okay, if you'll follow us we'll move her now. If you wish, you can leave and get her a change of clothes."

"No, I'll stay with her. My husband gets off of work in a few minutes and I'll have him pick her up some clothes from the house."

They walked to the familiar waiting room that they had been sent to just weeks before. She followed her daughter and the doctors into a tiny but cozy children's room. They transferred her gently from the emergency room stretcher to the small toddler bed. They then left to tend to more patients.

"Mummy?"

"Yes Hermione?"

"What is on my arm Mummy? And why does my head hurt?"

"Hermione, honey, you fell off the swing at school and you have to wear that on your wrist for a couple of weeks."

"Oh, okay Mummy. I'm really tired," she said and as if to prove her point she yawned.

Mrs. Granger laughed at her daughter and stroked her head gently. They had put stitches in the small cut on her forehead that was now covered with a small gauze pad. Hermione reached over and patted her mother's stomach where she knew her new baby brother or sister was.

"Mummy is my baby sister okay?" she asked quietly as her eyes began to close.

"Of course she is Hermione. You gave us quite a scare there, but yes your baby brother or sister is perfectly okay."

"That's good Mummy." Hermione then closed her eyes and soon her breathing was soft and regular. Taking this to be a good sign, Mrs. Granger walked out into the hallway and into the waiting room. She took her cell phone out of her purse and called her husband at work.

"Hello Dr. Granger's office, Dr. Jason Granger speaking. May I help you?"

"Jason! It's Amy. I'm at the hospital with Hermione," she said, relieved that her husband was the one to pick up.

"How is she?"

"She has a hairline fracture in her wrist and has to wear a cast for about 2 weeks as long as it heals correctly. She has a concussion that's not really bad but because of hospital policy the doctors have to keep her overnight."

"She's going to be okay, then?"

"That's what the doctors say. I was calling to ask you if you could pick her up a change of clothes on your way here from work."

"Of course I will. I was actually on my way out. Is she awake right now?"

"No, when they moved her to the pediatric ward she fell asleep after asking if the baby was okay."

"So she's fine?"

"Yes. They just have to keep her overnight because of hospital policy."

"Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes. I was going to stop at home anyway to change clothes and take a shower."

"Okay. See you in a few minutes. I love you," Mrs. Granger said.

"I love you too," Mr. Granger replied. They hung up and Mrs. Granger walked back to her daughter's room to wait for her husband.


	9. Unexpected Complications

Weeks passed and Hermione recovered. The cast was removed from her wrist and her parents stored it in the attic as a memoir.

Weeks turned into months and nothing changed. The baby continued to grow healthier and healthier. Hermione kept asking if the baby was okay and her parents always told her yes.

Mrs. Granger reached 7 months and the baby was healthy. Hermione of course, still asked. She wanted to make sure that her mother wasn't going back on her word that Hermione truly was getting a baby brother or sister.

One night half way through her 7th month, Mrs. Granger and Mr. Granger were lying in bed trying to catch up on some sleep they had missed. It was a Saturday night and Hermione had gone to bed early. Mrs. Granger opened her eyes suddenly, feeling as if something was wrong. Then she realized that she was going into labor.

"Oh my gosh, how can this be happening? There's still two months left. I can't be going into premature labor," she told herself out loud, panicking.

Mr. Granger woke with a start to his wife's worried voice. "What's wrong, honey?"

"I'm going into labor!" she almost screamed, catching herself as she remembered that Hermione was still asleep down the hall.

"But that's impossible," he exclaimed. "You still have two months left. You can't be going into labor!"

"I know, but I am!" She got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. Her water had already broken. She walked back out where Mr. Granger had already packed a suitcase. They proceeded down the hall where Mr. Granger picked up Hermione out of her bed. They walked down the stairs and out the front door.

"It's too late to call her grandparents. That was our plan," Mrs. Granger said as they pulled out of the driveway.

"Isn't there someone we can call? Couldn't we call my parents and leave a message for them to come get her from the hospital in the morning?" Mr. Granger suggested. They whispered back and forth different plans, but by the time they reached the hospital they had decided to use Mr. Granger's original plan.

The couple rushed into the hospital as fast as they could considering that Mr. Granger was carrying Hermione and Mrs. Granger was pregnant.

"Good evening. What's the emergency?" the receptionist asked.

"My wife is going into premature labor," Mr. Granger told her as calmly as he could.

"How many months premature?"

"About 1 and ½ months. She's 7 ½ months pregnant."

"I'll get her a wheelchair and then you can fill out the paperwork." The receptionist went to the back and removed a wheelchair from the line. She waited patiently as Mrs. Granger slowly sat into it. She then turned the chair so that Mr. Granger could hold the handles. "If you'll wheel her up to the maternity ward, they have a childcare center up there for your daughter. You may use the elevator over there," she said, pointing to the patient and visitor elevators in the corner.

"Thank you." The family walked over to the elevators and Mrs. Granger pressed the button to go up and the elevator doors opened. They walked through the sliding doors and Mrs. Granger pressed the button for the floor of the maternity ward.

After what seemed like forever to the Grangers, the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. The family walked out of the elevator and over to the nurse's station and receptionist desk.

"Ah, Mrs. Granger," a doctor said as she walked down the hallway. "What are you doing here so late at night? It's not good to have little Hermione out this late, or for you yourself to be out this late as pregnant as you are."

"I'm in labor."

"What? That's impossible. You've still got 1 ½ months left," the doctor said, the smile sliding off of her face.

"We know. My water already broke though," Mrs. Granger said, the panic echoing in her voice.

"Okay, Mrs. Granger. We'll get you checked in right now. Just don't get stressed out. It's not good for you or the baby and could cause complications."

Mr. Granger left his wife with the doctor to talk and check in and walked over to the nursery that the emergency receptionist had mentioned. He walked in and was relieved to find other children playing with the toys and several adults and teenage volunteers still on duty. One of the adults, a young woman around his wife's age, noticed the two first and walked over to greet them.

"Good evening. How are you?" she asked politely.

"I'm fine. My wife is in labor right now and I was wondering if I could leave my daughter here," Mr. Granger replied as calmly as he could.

"Of course you may. This is a childcare center, after all. What's her name?"

"This is Hermione. She's four. We had to get her out of bed with out waking her because my wife went into premature labor and we were totally unprepared. Her grandparents should be here in the morning to get her, but for now…" his voice trailed off as he looked at his deep-sleeping daughter.

"Wonderful. I will need you to wake her up, if that's possible. How long has she been asleep?"

"Well, she went to bed around 7. So I guess she's been asleep a good four hours. She should be fine to wake up. Like I said, her grandparents should be here as soon as they wake up and get the message on the answering machine and she can sleep then. I'll wake her up now."

He gently removed his right hand from around his daughter, being careful as to not drop her. He gently shook her should and she lifted her head.

"What is it Daddy?" she asked, yawning. "I'm still tired."

"I know you are sweetheart. But Mummy is having the baby."

"She is?"

"Yes honey. But I need you to be a good girl and stay here. You get to play with all these nice boys and girls. And I need you to promise me that you won't fall asleep until Grandma and Grandpa Granger get here. Can you do that for Mummy and Daddy?"

"Yes Daddy. When Gamma and Gandpa get here can I go back to sleep?" she asked, her words slurring and her 'r's getting dropped in her sleepiness.

"Of course honey."

"Okay Daddy. Can I see my new baby sister or brother in the morning?"

"Whenever it's born, of course."

Hermione slid down from his should and onto the floor. She stood for a moment and then walked over to where a couple of girls around her age were playing with building blocks.

"Sir, I need you to fill this sheet out. Just put you and your wife's names, phone number, daughter's age and name, and the name and relation of the person who will be picking her up," the woman said, handing Mr. Granger the information sheet.

He filled out the sheet and handed it back. He then walked over to the rug where his daughter was. He bent down and kissed her on the cheek. Mr. Granger then walked out the door quietly and down to where his wife was still speaking with the doctor.

It was a long chapter, I know. 2 pages on Word. So enjoy. I expect reviews if you want to find out what happens to the Grangers and their baby!


	10. Surprises?

Okay, guys, I got two reviews and the last chapter was long. Anyway, I tried putting this story on and they rejected it. They said that I had bad grammar and the first chapter wasn't long enough. So if you have any ideas then please let me know!

"Mrs. Granger, we have a room ready. We're going to hook you up to several machines to monitor the baby's health, your health, and of course the normal heart rate/oxygen level machine. Has your water broken yet?" the doctor was asking Hermione's mother as her father returned from dropping her off in the nursery.

"That's fine, I just want my baby to be born healthy," Mrs. Granger replied, worry clearly etched on her face.

"Mr. Granger, could you take your wife to room 207? It's down this hall and on the right," the doctor now directed her comments to Mr. Granger. She pointed down a hallway on the right side of the nurse's station.

"Yes, thank you doctor," he said in reply, nodding his thanks.

"Don't mention it. That's what we're here for," the doctor said, laughing. "Okay, while you're getting her settled, I'm going to go get your wife's records and the past sonograms. This lovely nurse can assist you in getting settled."

The doctor walked off, leaving the nurse and the Grangers to find the room. By the time they reached the room, the doctor and several other nurses waiting by the bed. As they hooked Mrs. Granger up to the many machines, Mr. Granger held her free hand.

"Is the baby going to be okay honey?" she asked her husband.

"I hope so, dear, I truly hope so," he replied, praying silently that the baby would survive for Hermione's sake.

"Mrs. Granger, we're going to do an emergency sonogram. We know that you had one last week but we need to make sure the baby is okay. How far apart are the contractions?" the doctor asked, interrupting the couple.

"They're about 10 minutes apart," she replied as another set of contractions began. She gritted her teeth and grasped Mr. Granger's hand against the pain.

"Okay, thank you. As soon as this set of contractions stops we'll begin the sonogram." The doctor turned away and began preparing the machines. As the sink turned on, the pain stopped. Mrs. Granger breathed a sigh of relief and her husband wiped the sweat off her forehead with a washcloth the nurse had given him. This was the signal for the doctor to begin.

"Now that it's obvious that the contractions have temporarily stopped," the doctor said, smiling at the look on Mrs. Granger's face, "we'll do the ultrasound. You know the drill, Mrs. Granger."

A few minutes later, Mrs. Granger was being wheeled into the operation room for an emergency C-section. The baby's health had taken a turn for the worse in the week since Mrs. Granger's last checkup. The doctors had no choice but to deliver the baby through a C-section. If they waited for the baby to come by natural means, it might be too late.

As the doctors worked, Mr. Granger held onto his wife's hand, whispering comforting words in her ear.

"Everything is going to be okay, honey," he whispered. "You and the baby are going to be just fine. We're going to go home in a couple of days and show the baby to Hermione and the grandparents and everything is going to be just fine."

Tears streamed down Mrs. Granger's face as she thought the exact opposite of what would happen. Her baby's life flashed before her eyes and how upset Hermione would be if her first sibling that she would know died before she even got to see it.

Finally, after what seemed like several painstaking hours, the doctor who had first helped the Grangers looked up and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Granger, you are the proud parents of a baby girl." The doctor held the baby up for the parents to see, but immediately, the baby was whisked away to be cleaned up and hooked up to several machines.


	11. New Baby

No reviews? How does that work? Well, I've been busy, so I expect you all have been too. But I want reviews. Any way, "Growing Up" was rejected by MuggleNet fan fiction site, so I'm just giving up on that site. I've gotten a beta reader to help improve my grammar and spelling. So I will probably be editing chapters as I get them back from my beta. Enjoy this chapter!

"Do I get to see my baby?" Mrs. Granger asked worriedly as she saw the baby being whisked away.

"We're just going to clean her up and do the normal procedures," the doctor told her reassuringly.

"So I'll get to hold her? Wait, it's a girl?" Mrs. Granger's tone turned from worry to excitement at the thought of having a second daughter.

"Yes it's a girl, Mrs. Granger," one of the other doctors said, laughing at her enthusiasm.

"Where am I going?" she asked as the doctors began to move her bed.

"We're just going to move you back to the maternity ward where you'll be able to see your baby. Relax," the nurse told her.

Mrs. Granger did what the nurse said and tried to relax as they returned her to the previous room. They passed the nursery on the way back and she glanced through the glass. She saw her baby, surrounded by doctors, being hooked up to machine after machine.

'Yeah, after seeing that, I can really relax,' she though sarcastically.

Finally, she was back at her room. The doctors hooked her up to an IV to stabilize her. She tried to calm down. Her husband soon came in and took her hand.

"The doctors say that there's a good chance that she'll live," he said, hoping to calm her down. She just stared at the white wall.

"That's good."

"What's wrong?" he asked, clearly concerned about his wife.

"If there's a good chance that she'll be okay, then why were they hooking her up to so many machines?" Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of having a funeral for the newest addition to the Granger family. They threatened to fall but she held them back.

The tears rolled down her cheek as she though about how disappointed Hermione would be if the one thing she had ever asked for more than anything, the one thing that she was consistent about, died before Hermione even got to hold her.

"Don't you remember when Hermione was born? They hooked her up to machines. This is just normal procedures," he said, breaking into her thoughts.

"But they didn't hook her up to the machines until after you and I got to hold her. They wouldn't even let me hold the baby this time."

"You'll get to hold her, I promise. How about we focus on something happier?" he suggested. "How about we focus on choosing a name for her? I'll go get Hermione so she can help. Don't go any where," he joked.

When he had left the room, she went back to staring at the wall. The tears welled up in her eyes once more and without her husband there to comfort her, they fell without pause.

Mr. Granger walked to the childcare room as quickly as he could. Hermione was quietly looking at a picture book, trying as hard as she could to keep from falling asleep.

He opened the door and walked inside. The attendant that was there when he dropped her off walked over to her.

"Hello. Ready to pick her up?" she asked.

"Yes, her mother and I want her to help name the baby."

"The baby has already been born? You just dropped your daughter off an hour ago!" the woman exclaimed, clearly surprised.

"I know, but they had to do a C-section. The baby's not doing so well, so we want Hermione to be there with us. Her mother just doesn't know that the baby isn't doing well. The doctors don't want me to tell her because she's under a lot of stress right now and they don't want her to get sick."

"I'm sorry. I hope you all do better. I'll go get Hermione." She walked over to the bookshelf and stooped down to Hermione's level. A few moments later the two females walked over and Mr. Granger picked his daughter up.

"Are you ready to go see your baby sister?" he asked.

"Yes Daddy. I have a baby sister?" she replied.

"Yes you do. You were right. Can you say thank you to the nice lady?"

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"You're very welcome. Enjoy your baby sister."

The father and daughter walked out and on the way to Mrs. Granger's room they stopped to look in the nursery.

"See the baby right next to this window?" he asked, pointing to the girl he was referring to. Hermione nodded. "That's your baby sister. We need your help naming her before Grandma and Grandpa get here."

"I get to help name her?" she asked tiredly.

"Of course you do. Did you really think you weren't going to get to help us name her?"

They continued to Mrs. Granger's room and Hermione climbed up into her mother's lap.

The naming and some news will be in the next chapter, but you have to review to find out what happens!


	12. Names, Names, and More Names

Hermione, Mrs. Granger, and Mr. Granger sat thinking of possible names for the baby girl. Each time some one said a different name, however, it was shot down by one of the others.

"How about we name her Savannah Catherine Granger?" Mr. Granger suggested.

"That's my sister's name, honey. If we call the baby Savannah while my sister is over, nobody will know who we're talking to," Mrs. Granger replied.

"What about Heather Lacey?" Hermione asked.

"Why do you like that name?" her father asked.

"Because my best friend has that name," she replied simply.

"Then wouldn't that be mean to name your sister the name of your best friend?" he asked.

"I guess…" she trailed off. A few more minutes passed with no new name suggestions.

"What about the name Ashley Lynn?" her mother suggested.

"No!" Hermione exclaimed, coming out of her deep-thought.

"Why not?" her father asked.

"Because this girl in my class has that name and I hate her!"

"Hermione Jane Granger, you're four years old. You should not be saying that you hate anyone!" her parents exclaimed together.

"Sorry," she replied, hanging her head. The family went back to thinking and after five minutes, Mrs. Granger had another name that she hoped would go over well.

"How about the name Hope Adelphie?" she asked.

"I like that name, honey," Mr. Granger replied, his face lighting up.

"What does that name mean?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Hope means 'hope' and Adelphie means 'dearest sister'. I think it fits her perfectly."

"So do I," the other two agreed.

Just as the family finished discussing the newest addition's name, the doctors brought her in along with the birth certificate to sign.

"Here is your beloved daughter," the doctor said, handing Mrs. Granger Hope gently. "Have you all decided on a name yet?"

"Yes we have," Hermione answered matter-of-factly. "Her name is Hope Adelphie. Hope means 'hope' and Adelphie means 'dearest sister'!"

"Well, don't we know a lot!" the doctor said, smiling down at Hermione.

"My mummy told me what they mean!"

"Oh! Well, that name is beautiful. And it fits this tiny ball of sunshine perfectly. She weighs 4 lbs. 6 oz. and she is 17" long. You all are a lucky family."

Mrs. Granger looked down and smiled at Hope. She was just happy to have her family together. Hermione and Hope's grandparents walked into the room and smiled. Mr. Granger's mother was carrying a camera, obviously hoping to get a picture of the whole Granger family together. Hermione's mother was grateful for this.

They asked the nurse to take a picture of them together and she did it cheerfully. Then, the grandparents took pictures of different groupings.

After the general loudness had died down, the grandparents decided to head home and allow Hermione to get some sleep. Hermione's grandfather picked her up off the bed and carried her out the door. Hermione laid her head down on her grandfather's shoulder and was asleep by the time they reached the ground floor of the hospital.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger shared their joy with each other and enjoyed the time they had with their newborn daughter. A few minutes after the others had left, however, an unexpected complication occurred.

I decided to delay the sad news until the next chapter. I changed the name from what I was originally going to use because I thought this one was more unique. I hope you like, because I want a couple of more reviews until the bad news comes out. I'm mean like that!


	13. Calm Before the Storm

All of a sudden, the machines that Hope was hooked up to began beeping very quickly. Doctors rushed into the room and took Hope from her mother's arms. Mrs. Granger and Mr. Granger began to worry.

"What's wrong with my daughter?" Mrs. Granger cried. Tears flowed down her face and she quickly wiped them away. Her heart began pounding at the prospect of loosing another child.

"She's fine, honey," Mr. Granger said, attempting to comfort his wife.

"If she's fine, then why did the machines go off like that? Why did the doctors grab my baby from my arms mere minutes after I was handed her?"

Mrs. Granger began to panic. More doctors rushed in to check on Mrs. Granger. They gave her a sedative to calm her down. A few minutes later, the pandemonium has slowed to a few doctors here and there. Mrs. Granger lay limp on her bed, the sedative having put her to sleep.

Mr. Granger held his wife's hand and tears began to stream down his face. The same thoughts that had been going through his wife's head since she went into labor began to circulate in his head.

'What if we lose Hope like we did Michael?' he though. 'I don't think Amy would be able to handle a second child dying. And I know Hermione wouldn't understand, but she would know something is wrong. She would be so disappointed if, after 7 months and getting to hold her first sibling, the baby didn't get to come home."

A few hours later, there was still no news on Hope. Mrs. Granger began to stir and after a few minutes, her eyes snapped open.

"Where's Hope?" she asked tiredly.

"They still haven't brought her back, honey. But I'm sure they're giving her the best help possible and in just a few minutes they'll bring some good news," he replied, seeing the worried look on his wife's face.

Mrs. Granger tried to remain calm as the doctors returned to check on her. They gave her some medicine to relieve her stress and she relaxed a bit more under the effects of the pills. Every now and then, a quick, loud beep would sound down the hall and Mrs. Granger would tense up and squeeze her husband's hand. He stroked it and kissed her cheek to let her know that everything was okay.

At around 3:00 in the afternoon, Mrs. Granger drifted off into a natural sleep. Mr. Granger listened to his wife's breathing slow down and steady out. He lay his head down on the back of his chair and drifted off into a light sleep.

Several hours later, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket and he was jolted awake. He yawned and reached into his jeans to answer the phone. He put the phone up to his ear and heard an excited voice on the other end.

"How are our two beautiful girls doing?" Mrs. Granger's mother asked.

"We had a bit of a scare a few hours after the baby was born, but we think she's okay now. Amy's asleep right now. She began to stress out when they took our daughter back to the nursery and the doctors had to give her a sedative. She woke up around noon and the doctors gave her a couple of pills to help relieve her stress. She fell asleep around 3:00 and she's still asleep now. There's still no news on the baby," he replied.

"And what did you decide to name her? Hermione didn't mention when she called from your parents' house," Mrs. Granger's father asked, picking up on the other phone.

"We named her Hope Adelphie. It was the first name that all three of us agreed on."

"Well, that's a beautiful name!" Mrs. Stephens replied.

"What does Adelphie mean?" Mr. Stephens asked.

"I think Amy said that Adelphie means 'dearest sister'. We thought the name fit Hope perfectly."

"And it does. When she's older, she'll appreciate that name. Well, we'd better go to let you get some sleep. I'm sure with the excitement you've barely gotten any sleep. Tell Amy to give us a call when she wakes and that we send our love," Mrs. Stephens said.

"Will do," Mr. Granger replied. They hung up and as the phone beeped, Mrs. Granger bolted awake. Her breathing became heavy, but when she saw it was just her husband it became steady once more.

"Who was that?" she asked, wiping the sleep out of her eyes.

"Your parents, checking on how you and Hope are," he replied.

"What did you say?" she asked, adjusting her pillows and sitting up in bed.

"I told her about the scare earlier and that you were asleep. They asked what we named her and I told her that all three of us agreed on the name Hope Adelphie. They send their love and would like you to call them later. I'm sure they'd understand if you don't call right away, though," he answered, taking his wife's hand once more.

"Okay, thanks dear." She relaxed against her pillows and closed her eyes. Mr. Granger almost thought she had fallen asleep again, but she opened her eyes and asked another question. "Has there been any news on Hope?"

"No, not yet," he said. But just then, the doctors brought Hope back in and asked if Mrs. Granger would like to hold her again.

"Of course I would!" she exclaimed. She held out her arms and the doctor placed Hope in them. She brought her daughter close to her daughter and rocked her. Hope's tiny eyes slowly opened and the first thing Mrs. Granger noticed was that she had blue eyes, just like her father. They were a soft blue, not an artificial blue like some. They were almost the color of a baby blanket, but a softer, more fragile blue than even that.

"Look at her eyes," Mr. Granger said, stroking the top of his daughter's head. "Aren't they beautiful?"

"Yes they are. They are the exact color of another person I know," she replied.

"And who would that be?"

"She has your exact eye color and shape, Jason."

"I noticed that too."

Just then, Mr. Granger took out a camera and took a picture, careful to make sure the flash was off. He did not want to upset the calm baby and possibly damage her fragile eyes. Hope even flashed her tiny, but first ever smile just in time for Mr. Granger to snap another picture.

"She has Hermione's smile," Amy noticed.

"She certainly does," Jason agreed.

There was a small rap on the door and Mr. and Mrs. Stephens quietly walked into the room.

"Is that our granddaughter? Is that the famous Hope Adelphie that we've heard so much about from Hermione?" Mrs. Stephens asked, walking over to the bed and looking straight into her youngest granddaughter's eyes.

"Yes, Mum. Would you like to hold her?" Amy asked.

"May I?"

"Of course you can. We let you hold Michael and Hermione didn't we? It would be just cruel to deny you the chance to hold this baby."

Mrs. Stephens gently picked Hope up out of her daughter's arms and rocked her back and forth, gentle not to jerk the cords and tubes out of her tiny hands and arms.

For a few hours, the scene was quiet and peaceful. Nothing interrupted the happy family. Nothing, that is, until the grandparents had left.

Okay, I delayed the bad news for another chapter. I figured I would add this chapter to introduce the other set of grandparents and give you all the sense of calm and happiness. What do you all think is going to happen? I want to know! Let me know what you think will happen in a review!


	14. Sad News

I know it's been a while since I updated. I had an English slideshow to do. I still need to make some finishing touches, but right now I'm going to be nice and update. The bad news is in this chapter. Just for the record. Also, I changed the name. The name Dracyn is one of my favorites. So, don't worry if you think that you're going crazy because just 3 days ago the name was Hope Adelphie and now it's Dracyn Hope. You're not crazy, I changed it. Enjoy!

A few hours of peace passed after the grandparents had left. Quiet was what the family needed, after all. Just as Dracyn was drifting off to sleep, the machines went off once more and the baby began to cry. Doctors rushed in and once more took the baby from her mother's arms.

"Why are they taking her again?" she asked her husband frantically. "Why are they taking her from the place she belongs? She belongs in her mother's arms!"

"It's okay, honey. I'm sure they're just checking on her and they'll bring her back like last time. She's going to be just fine."

"But what if she's not? What if, after 4 years of trying unsuccessfully, we lose our first baby since Hermione was born?"

"We're not going to lose her," he told her firmly. He squeezed her hand and she lay back onto her pillow. She tried to go to sleep, but a horrible, nauseating feeling filled her stomach and kept her awake.

A few hours later, the doctors brought the baby back in. She looked even paler than before and extremely worn out.

When Mrs. Granger was handed the baby, Mr. Granger asked to speak to the doctor out in the hallway.

"Why does my daughter keep getting jerked out of my wife's arms?" he asked once the two gentlemen were outside and the door was shut. "Do you know how upset this is making her? Are you aware of how stressed out and worried she is right now? When our first two children were born, they were never jerked from their mother's arms frantically. What is going on?" he asked desperately.

"We brought your daughter back one last time for your wife to hold her. We're not sure if she's going to make it. She's getting sicker and sicker, I'm sure you've noticed that every time we bring her back to your wife."

"What do you she might not make it? What's wrong with her?"

"She's too small. Her lungs and heart weren't fully formed. She was born too early. And even though she's a healthy weight, if she had been born at nine months, even eight months, she would have weighed more and been a lot healthier. We can't do much for her because of how small she is."

"You have to do something for her!" he exclaimed. "My wife would simply be a vegetable if we lose another child. No matter how old a kid is, it always hurts. Please, do something for her!"

"We've been trying all night. There's nothing else we can do. I think you should go back in to the room and be with your wife and daughter. She'll probably be gone by the morning."

With that, the doctor walked away down the hall. Mr. Granger watched him walk to the nurses' station and then further down the hall into another patient's room. Mr. Granger walked back into his wife's room and sat down by the bed. He watched his two girls, quiet and smiling, sit on the bed, not a worry in the world.

'This is how it should be,' he thought. 'Please, let it stay this way, God. Please, let my wife be okay. Let my child come home with us and meet her older sister. Just please, let it stay this way.'

A few hours later, the machines went off once more. Mrs. Granger didn't fight this time, though. She just sat back and didn't question. Mr. Granger began to worry.

"Aren't you worried about Dracyn?" he asked her.

"No, I've learned not to worry. They'll bring her back in a few hours and then I'll get to hold her. Then an hour or two later the machines will go off and they'll take her away from me. Then the process will begin all over again," she replied.

Her eyes closed and she drifted off into a more peaceful sleep. Mr. Granger attempted to sleep, but insomnia ripped through his body much like it had done to his wife earlier that day.

At around 10:00 the next morning, the doctor came back into the room, this time without Dracyn. Mr. Granger began to worry that something had happened in the night after he had eventually drifted into a fitful sleep. He worried that they wouldn't be able to see Dracyn until she was released. Thoughts soared through his mind at unspeakable speeds and a pounding headache resulted.

"Mr. Granger, we have some bad news," the doctor he had spoken to the night before said.

"Should I wake Amy?" he asked.

"No, I think you should be the one to tell her, not me."

"What could it possibly be?" he asked, even though he had an idea.

"Your daughter died just a few hours ago. We didn't want to wake you because you were sleeping so peacefully. We're sorry to give you such bad news. You can go see her if you want. The body will need to be removed by the end of the week."

"Thank you, doctor."

The doctor left and he sat back down in his chair. He put his head in his hand and sobbed. He sobbed until no more tears came out. His wife woke to the sounds of his wracking cries and knew something was wrong immediately.

"What's wrong, Jason?" she asked.

"Honey, I hate to have to say this, but Dracyn died just a few hours ago. They didn't want to wake us because we were sleeping so peacefully. I'm so sorry," he told her, trying to wipe the tears from his face.

Mrs. Granger hung her head, speechless. Tears streamed down her face, but no words escaped her thin lips. The doctors came in to check on her, and gave her another sedative. She was asleep within the hour.

Once his wife was asleep, Mr. Granger went out into the hallway to call his and his wife's parents.

"Good morning, Granger residence. May I help you?" his mother asked politely.

"Hello, Mum."

"Oh, hello, Jason!" she exclaimed. "Is everything okay? You sound terrible. Hermione was hoping to speak to you."

"Mum, Dracyn died this morning," he said, the tears streaming down her face once more.

"Are you sure? There has to be a mistake! You said that she was doing fine just two days ago. What could have possibly happened?"

"She was too small. Her lungs and heart were not completely formed and there was nothing more the doctors could do because she was so small."

"I'm so sorry. I'll tell Hermione that you're too tired to talk right now. When are they releasing Amy?"

"I'm not sure. They didn't mention that. I would bet in the next couple of days but I can't be so sure because she's so stressed out right now."

"Well, I'll let you get back to Amy. I love you, and tell Amy that too."

"Thanks, Mum."

The two hung up and he dialed Mr. and Mrs. Stephens' number. Mr. Stephens picked up.

"Good morning, may I please ask who is calling?" he asked.

"Good morning, Mr. Stephens. I have some bad news," Mr. Granger told him.

Mr. Stephens knew right away that it was his son-in-law. He began to worry due to the tone of his voice.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately. "Is it Dracyn? Amy? Hermione? You?"

"Dracyn died this morning. She was too small and her lungs and heart weren't fully functional. There was nothing that the doctors could do."

"I'm so sorry. How is Amy taking this?"

"The doctors had to give her a sedative. Hermione hasn't been told yet."

"How are you doing?"

"I've been better."

"Well, that's obvious. I'm going to let you get some sleep if you can. You sound like you need it."

The two hung up and Mr. Granger walked back into the room and fell asleep in the chair.

The next chapter will have the funeral. That's the only hint I'm giving! So I suggest you review if you want to know how little Hermione is going to take it!


	15. Telling Hermione and the Funeral

It's been even longer since I've updated than the last time. I had so much homework lately. I'm so sorry for the wait. Even though I only received one review… I promise I'll be more consistent. Spring break is coming up so I can update then too. This chapter will be sad, as it contains telling Hermione about Dracyn's death and the funeral. I'm going to make this a 15 chapter story and then make a second part. This will either be a 2-part or a 3-part story. I'm not sure yet. It depends on how long I can drag this out…lol just kidding  Here's the chapter!

A few days passed after Dracyn's death and Mrs. Granger was released. She was almost reluctant to leave as she was afraid of how Hermione would take the news. The doctors gave her a anti-depressant to help her cope with her loss.

"You are to take this medication if, and only if, you feel that you are not able to control your emotions. If you feel that your frustration and depression is causing your health to decrease, you should take 2 pills every 6 hours.

"This is a very addictive medication. By no means are you to take more than 2 pills less than 6 hours apart. If you don't need the pills, don't take it," the doctor told her.

"I'll make sure that she doesn't," Mr. Granger told the doctor, answering for his exhausted wife.

"Thank-you, Mr. Granger. I hope that you all get better and cope with this. I hope your daughter takes this as calmly as can be expected from a four-year-old. If you have any concerns, feel free to call me. I know an excellent family counselor who specializes in death and divorce."

The doctor walked off and the couple walked through the doors and out to the car. Once in the car, Mrs. Granger attempted to relax as much as possible.

The ride to Mr. Granger's parents' home was quiet. He looked over at his wife, who was staring out the window. Her face was empty and emotionless. It saddened him to see her so depressed and upset. He knew that the loss of a second child was killing her on the inside. He just hoped that she wouldn't do anything stupid.

Finally, they arrived at his parents' house and Mr. Granger got out of the car. He walked over to the passenger's side and helped his wife out. They walked slowly up to the door and rang the bell.

Tiny footsteps could be barely heard and a few seconds later the door flew open and Hermione stood on the threshold.

"Mummy! Daddy! You're here! Where's Dracyn Hope?" she asked breathlessly.

"Honey, let's go inside," Mr. Granger's mother said, showing up behind Hermione.

"Okay, grandmum. What's wrong, Mummy?" she asked as the family walked to the parlor where her grandfather was sitting.

"Honey, your sister died a few days ago," her father explained to her. He knew that she wouldn't understand, but he tried his best to explain to the toddler.

"What do you mean?" she asked, clearly confused.

"Dracyn won't be coming home," her mother explained, tears filling her eyes, threatening to fall as they had so many times this past week.

"Why not, Mummy?"

"Because she was really sick and it wasn't meant for her to live," her grandmother said, picking Hermione up.

"Is it something that I did grandmum?" she asked.

"No, of course not, dear!" her mother exclaimed, jumping up from the chair and taking her daughter into her arms. "Dracyn loved you very much, even though she was only a baby. You did nothing to her. She was just very, very sick."

Hermione didn't say anything more, but put her head on her mother's shoulder. Sadness was unmistakable in her eyes. Mrs. Granger walked out to the car and left Mr. Granger alone with his parents.

"Thanks Mum and Dad," he said once his wife and daughter were outside. "It was so much help to have Hermione here while we were with Dracyn instead of with us."

"Don't mention it, dear," his mother said. "That's what parents are for. We're here to help when our children need it. If you need anything, just give us a call." 

"Thank you," he said as he walked to the car.

The drive home was silent. When the family finally reached the house, Hermione was asleep. Mr. Granger picked her up and carried her up to the door. He unlocked it and the family walked in. There were several messages on the answering machine. Each of them was from different friends of the Grangers, expressing their sympathy and telling them to just call if they needed them.

Mr. Granger walked up the stairs and put Hermione in her bed. She rolled over on the bed, but did not wake up. He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. He let out a sigh of relief as he walked down the stairs.

For some reason, as he walked down the stairs, all of the events of the past week seemed to replay in his head. And thinking about the funeral made the recollections worse.

When he reached the bottom of the steps, he walked into the dining room where his wife had her knees to her chest. He walked over and began to rub her back. He felt her relax and her breathing became slightly more regular.

The next day, the family drove to the funeral home. The arrangements had been made the day Dracyn had died.

A tiny coffin was sitting at the front of the chapel, surrounded by flower arrangements. Hermione saw the coffin and dragged her parents to the front. She was very curious.

When they reached the front, Hermione found that she could not see inside the box because it was sitting on a table. She tugged on her father's suit pants leg and he picked her up. She peered inside the coffin carefully and saw her baby sister lying inside.

She stared in silence, partly from the terrifying sight of seeing her sister so motionless and quiet and to keep from disrupting the silence that filled the room.

Many of the parents of Hermione's friends from school came and brought casseroles and other things to help make life a little easier for a few weeks at the Granger house. Hermione and her friends sat in the pews and waited for their parents. Hermione's grandparents came and they each placed kisses on the infant's cheek and forehead.

After what seemed like hours, the crowd dispersed and everyone headed to the cemetery. The preacher from their church read a small selection from the Bible and said a few kind words about Dracyn and her family.

The coffin was slowly lowered into the ground and the whole filled in. The headstone was put into place.

Dracyn Hope Granger

March 3, 1982-March 10, 1982

A much loved daughter and sister.

This is the last chapter!!! There will be a part 2. I'm not sure as of now when I'll start it or if there will be a part 3. I have a lot of plans for this series. I hope you all enjoyed this story and keep reading to see what is in store for the Granger family. Thanks for reading and keep checking back for part 2!


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